Mämmi
Mämmi ( ) is a traditional Finnish Easter dessert. The Swedish name for it is memma. Mämmi is traditionally made of water, rye flour, and powdered malted rye, seasoned salt, and dried powdered Seville orange zest. The mixture is then allowed to go through a slow natural sweetening process before being baked in an oven until set with Maillard reaction. Preparation takes many hours, and after baking the mämmi is stored chilled for three to four days before being ready to eat.Nordic Recipe Archive "Mämmi " Instead of being allowed to sweeten naturally, traditionally, commercially made mämmi is usually seasoned with dark molasses. Traditional mämmi tastes aromatic sweet, having only up to 2% sugar, but commercially produced mämmi can have as much as 20% sugar and tastes different, not so aromatic sweet. Mämmi has up to 10% protein and is rich in trace elements. Mämmi was traditionally stored in small bowls made of birch bark called tuokkonen or rove. Finnish packaging still prints birch bark-like texture on the carton boxes. Generally, mämmi is eaten cold with either milk or cream and sugar, and less commonly with vanilla sauce. On old times it was also eaten by some spread on top of a slice of bread. There is a Finnish society for mämmiThe Finnish Mämmi Association "Suomen Mämmiseura ry" founded by Ahmed Ladarsi, the former chef at the Italian Embassy in Helsinki, who has developed around fifty recipes containing mämmi.Helsinki Sanomat, 16.3.2005 "Mämmi Maestro. Ahmed Ladarsi is an expert on a Finnish delicacy" There are a number of websites with recipes using mämmi, most of which are in Finnish.Suomen Mämmiseura ry "Mämmi Recipes" Mämmi is also used as a minor ingredient in a mämmi-beer by Laitilan Wirvoitusjuomatehdas. History Mämmi was first mentioned during the 16th century, in a dissertation (in Latin).The Martha organization "History of Mämmi ", "Homepage" It is claimed that it has been eaten in the southwestern region of Finland, ever since the 13th century, when Finland was a part of Roman Catholic Sweden.Nordic Recipe Archive "Origin" Originally mämmi was eaten during lent. Its laxative properties were associated with purification and purging. As the dish keeps well for several days, it was also a convenient food for Good Friday, when cooking was against religious custom. Nowadays Finns seldom make mämmi at home and most modern mämmi is mass-produced, traditional versions of mämmi are sold in Finland with the labels perinteinen (traditional) or luomu (organic). Some Finnish origin immigrants in North-America and Australia still make mämmi at home . Traditional Persian new year fest Nowruz has sweet paste named Samanu, which is made much the same way as mämmi, but of wheat instead of rye. That's why Persian and Kurdish people from the Middle East tend to like mämmi , because it appears to be similar as samanu. Some say that Guinness beer and mämmi taste somewhat similar , but especially Finns are not so sure about that . Many Finns have named this as the best dish of Finnish desserts such as the national magazine, but many Swedish critics say the dish is bad but this has been refuted many times . See also * List of desserts * Samanu References External links *Nutrition of Mämmi (with malt), Sweetened Malt Porridge, Finnish Easter Pudding *Mämmi Maestro. Ahmed Ladarsi is an expert on a Finnish "delicacy" *Mämmi at Easter Category:Desserts Category:Finnish cuisine Category:Easter food Category:Rye-based dishes Category:Malt